Bajoran
The Bajorans (also known as the "Bajora" ) were a humanoid species native to the planet Bajor in the Alpha Quadrant. The Bajorans had one of the oldest and richest cultures in the quadrant, though in the 24th century, they suffered greatly at the hands of the Cardassian Union. With their liberation from the Cardassians and the discovery of the Bajoran wormhole in 2369, the Bajorans were thrust onto the interstellar stage. Physiology scan]] Bajorans resembled Humans in appearance. They were distinguished by a series of four to seven horizontal creases across their noses. ( , et al.) , but afterwards, they were not seen again, barring some exceptions in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine s first season. Characters who had initially appeared with the previous makeup design – namely, Ro Laren, Sito Jaxa, and Opaka – later bore the "new" Bajoran physiology in their reappearances. Reportedly, they were removed due to interfering with the natural frown lines on the actors' foreheads. }} Bajorans also featured light- and dark-skinned variants, although the dark-skinned Bajorans appeared to be a very small minority. ( ) The Bajoran heart was mirrored along a horizontal axis, unlike the Human heart, which is mirrored along a vertical axis. A puncture in the lower ventricle of the heart would cause instantaneous death. Bajoran women gestated for only five months, forming an intricate network of blood vessels between the mother and the fetus. During the pregnancy, Bajoran women were frequently afflicted by bouts of uncontrollable sneezing. ( ; ) Bajorans had a lifespan of at least 100 years; Arbiter Els Renora stated her age to be such, though she looked and acted as a healthy 21st century Human in her seventies. ( ) Given her apparent good health, it is quite possible Bajorans lived even longer. History :Main articles: Bajoran history and Bajor: Historical Ancient Bajor In the 24th century, Bajoran civilization stretched back more than half a million years. The ancient Bajorans were renowned for their accomplishments in science, mathematics, philosophy, and the arts. The greatest of these early Bajoran civilizations was the First Republic, which flourished between 20,000 and 25,000 years ago. During this time, magnificent cities such as B'hala were built. The next great phase of Bajoran civilization began approximately 10,000 years ago, when the first of the Tears of the Prophets was discovered above Bajor. These artifacts ushered in a new era of spiritual connection with the Bajoran gods, the Prophets. By the 16th century, the Bajorans had developed sublight space travel and were exploring their home star system with solar-sail spacecraft. Some Bajoran explorers even reached the Cardassian system, several light years away. This period came to an end with the annexation of Bajor by Cardassia, sometime before 2319. ( ; ) Prior to the Cardassian occupation, Bajorans followed a strict system of castes, known as D'jarras. ( ) , which establishes that the Cardassians engaged in interstellar space travel prior to 2154.}} Cardassian Occupation The Occupation of Bajor (usually simply referred to as the Occupation) was a period from 2328 to 2369, during which the Bajoran homeworld of Bajor was under the control of the Cardassian Union. During the Occupation, the Cardassians perpetrated a coordinated scheme of strip-mining, forced labor, and genocide across the planet. The Occupation gave rise to the fierce Bajoran Resistance, which used guerrilla and terror tactics to eventually force the Cardassians to withdraw. Many Bajorans also fled the Occupation and settled on planets all over the known galaxy. Almost everywhere, they remained separated from other peoples, living under the poorest circumstances, in refugee camps like those on Valo II. Independent Bajor In 2369, after forty years of terrorism by the Resistance, the Cardassians finally withdrew from Bajor. As the Occupation had left Bajor devastated and politically fragile, the newly formed Provisional Government requested Federation support. Starfleet established joint administration with the Bajoran Militia over the former Cardassian space station Terok Nor, which was renamed Deep Space 9. Bajor also applied for Federation membership, which was accepted five years later, in 2373. However, the Chamber of Ministers voted to defer membership after the Emissary Benjamin Sisko warned that Bajor would be destroyed, unless it stood alone. The Federation remained hopeful that Bajor would one day join. ( ) Prior to the beginning of the Dominion War in 2373, Bajor signed a nonaggression pact with the Dominion, choosing to remain neutral. This saved Bajor from coming under the rule of another foreign power when the Dominion captured Deep Space 9, later in the year. Bajor finally joined the fight against the Dominion in 2374, after the Allies recaptured Deep Space 9 in Operation Return. The Bajorans continued to fight against the Dominion until 2375, when the Treaty of Bajor was signed on Deep Space 9. Following the war, Bajor resumed its attempts to become a member of the United Federation of Planets. ( ) Government Following the Cardassian withdrawal from Bajor, the interim Bajoran Provisional Government was set up to administer the planet and its various colonies. Bajoran politics is balanced between the secular Chamber of Ministers, led by the First Minister, and the religious Vedek Assembly, led by the kai. It is possible for one individual to be both the kai and the first minister simultaneously, as Winn Adami was for several weeks in 2371. ( ) Agencies *Bajoran Institute for Science *Bajoran Intelligence *Bajoran Militia Religion and spirituality See main article: Bajoran religion Bajorans have a deeply spiritual society, and the Bajoran religion is a major unifying force on the planet; the spiritual leader, or kai, wields a great deal of moral and political authority, advising and influencing the planet's political leader, the First Minister. The kai is chosen from a council of vedeks, the title given to Bajoran religious leaders. Other religious titles are ranjen and prylar. The Bajoran religion is based upon the revelations of the Prophets, who came to be known as timeless beings residing in the Bajoran wormhole, or as it is called by the Bajorans, the Celestial Temple. Since Starfleet officer Benjamin Sisko was the first to make contact with them, he is acclaimed by the Bajoran spiritual leadership as the Emissary of the Prophets. Part of the Bajoran religion involves the use of the Tears of the Prophets, reality-distorting energy orbs produced by the Prophets. Several of these were stolen by the Cardassians during the Occupation, though a number have been recovered. See also * Bajoran philosophy Language See main article: Bajoran language Culture and society Bajoran culture and customs are closely tied with Bajor's religious beliefs. Names Bajoran custom places the surname (or family name) before the given name. Therefore, Major Kira Nerys would properly be addressed as Major Kira, not Major Nerys. ( ) Childbirth giving birth]] The traditional Bajoran birthing ceremony is attended by the woman's family and a midwife. The objective of the ritual is to induce complete relaxation through a combination of breathing exercises, rhythmic percussion music and incense, allowing the woman to give birth without pain. However, the birth must take place in a certain period of time, or the level of endorphins within the mother's system will build to toxic levels. When the child is born, he or she is greeted with the following words: "Awake child, we await you with love and welcome you into the world." ( ) Funerary customs The Bajorans generally bury their deceased in graves marked with a decorated arch. Bajoran funeral rites can be quite elaborate; for example, the Bajoran death chant is over two hours long. However, the preservation of the body itself is not of particular significance to the Bajorans, who believe that, after death, a person's pagh joins the Prophets in the Celestial Temple, leaving only an empty shell. To mourn the death of a loved one, Bajorans light duranja lamps. ( ) Music Bajor, as an advanced society, was well-known for its music both before and after the Occupation. The Jalanda Forum was a popular performance venue. The belaklavion was a Bajoran musical instrument. Holidays and festivals *Days of Atonement *Gratitude Festival *Ha'mara *Bajoran Time of Cleansing Bajorans typically clap right palm on left wrist. ( ) Food and beverages * Alvas * Bajoran shrimp * Deka tea * Foraiga * Groatcake * Hasperat * Hasperat souffle * Jumja stick * Jumja tea * Kava * Kava juice * Katterpod * Klavaatu * Koganka pudding * Larish pie * Mapa bread * Moba fruit * Palukoo * Rekja * Springwine * Synthale or Bajoran ale ** Voodai * Tuwaly pie * Veklava Parallel universes In the mirror universe, the Bajorans were a race conquered by the Terran Empire. They were liberated by the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance and became leading members. Some, however, joined the Terran Rebellion. ( ) The Bajorans of the mirror universe did not know of the Prophets and were not a spiritual people like their primary universe counterparts. ( ) . Ronald D. Moore commented, "The intention was that there were Orbs on the other side, but they had been lost or destroyed or something and that they had passed into legend for the Mirror Bajorans." }} In another quantum reality, the Bajorans had overthrown the Cardassian Union prior to 2370 and had become increasingly aggressive towards the Federation. On Stardate 47391.2, a Bajoran warship destroyed the Argus Array, as the Bajorans thought that Starfleet had been using it to spy on them. The next day, the same Bajoran ship attacked the under the command of Captain William T. Riker, causing damage to the ''Enterprise s power systems. The warship later disengaged after the appearance of approximately 285,000 near-duplicate Enterprise''s, which appeared following a series of quantum incursions into that reality. ( ) People *List of Bajorans See also * Bajoran earring * Bajoran law * Bajoran Springball Association Technology The Bajorans had simple holographic technology, such as the ability to hide entrances with false holographic covers. ( ) See also * Bajoran starship classes * Bajoran Regional Comm Network Appendices Appearances * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** * ** All episodes * ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** (hologram) ** (hologram) * : ** Background information Name and concept The term "Bajora" can be heard in , , and but was not reused after ''Deep Space Nine s first season. It may be alternate or outdated terminology. The introduction of the Bajorans in TNG: "Ensign Ro" seemed to suggest that the episode's writers, TNG Executive Producers Rick Berman and Michael Piller, sympathized with the plight of the Palestinians. "The Bajorans are the but they're also the Kurds, the Jews, and the American Indians," Piller responded. "They are any racially bound group of people who have been deprived of their home by a powerful force .... When you talk about a civilization like the Bajorans who were great architects and builders with enormous artistic skills centuries before humans were even standing erect, you might be thinking a lot more about Indians than Palestinians." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 23, No. 2/3, p. 38 & 43) Berman, discussing "Ensign Ro", similarly emphasized that the Bajorans were not modeled on any particular real-life group; "The Kurds, the Palestinians, the Jews in the 1940s, the boat people from Haiti – unfortunately, the homeless and terrorism are problems every age." (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion) Regarding parallels between the Bajorans and real-world cultures, Ronald D. Moore commented, "Depending on the episode, you could also call Bajor , or , or even America and the Cardassians could be Germans, or Russians or several other examples. While these parallels do enter our discussions and sometimes are more overt than others, we don't really try to make Bajor a direct analogy to any specific contemporary country or people. Blending the experiences of many Earth peoples and races into our storytelling allows us to comment on these subjects without advocating a particular political point of view, while at the same time allowing us to view the topics in a different light without the baggage of contemporary politics." As Bajorans are provided with much-needed blankets in "Ensign Ro", Jonathan Frakes jokingly referred to the group as "the people who needed towels." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 23, No. 2/3, p. 43) Kira actress Nana Visitor compared the strong Bajoran women with the Celtic women who fought along with their men. (DS9 Season 1 DVD special feature "Crew Dossier: Kira Nerys") DS9 origins After the Bajoran backstory was originally developed by Rick Berman and Michael Piller while they wrote "Ensign Ro", the depictions of the species continued to evolve on Deep Space Nine. That series portrayed the Bajorans as having a highly religious culture, a contrast to the atheistic, secular humanism evident in Gene Roddenberry's view of the Federation. "I don't think it goes against Gene. He's still with us mentally ... as we think about these conceptual issues," Piller explained. "I don't think it would bother him one bit .... What we have done in creating an environment that will bring conflict to our people, which we want desperately to do, was put them with a group of aliens who are different. Giving the Bajorans a strong spiritual, mystical orb and prophet worship forces our people to deal with another alien race that is as different from us as are the Klingons." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 23, No. 6, pp. 20 & 22) In the official reference book Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before (paperback ed., p. 156), the Bajorans are likened, by writer Jeanne M. Dillard, to the townspeople of Fort Laramie, with Benjamin Sisko assigned to protect them from metaphorical American Indians: the Cardassians. One of the earliest DS9 details which was revealed to the majority of Star Trek: The Next Generation s writing staff (specifically those writers who weren't involved in the early development of Deep Space Nine) was that the new series would largely focus on the Bajorans. (Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, p. 222) Ira Steven Behr was pleased with how the Bajorans are developed in , approving of the way they are depicted as religiously unusual compared to the Federation. Behr said of the installment, "It ... gives a nice little feel for the Bajorans." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 24, Nos. 3/4, p. 102) The nationalism evident in Bajoran characters including Major Kira Nerys was appealing to Quark actor Armin Shimerman, since he felt this issue was prevalent in Star Trek s production base of Los Angeles. "We had our riots because neighbourhoods felt that they weren't getting a fair share of the wealth of Los Angeles, and there's the Bajorans who are fighting because they're not getting a fair share of what they think they deserve," said Shimerman. "That's very intrinsic to the life we live in Los Angeles, so when it's represented on television, I feel for that." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 55) Similarly, the Bajoran racism exhibited in changed Nana Visitor's perspective, as she had been "familiar with" the issue of racism but had "never had to deal with it in any real way." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 64) Bajoran spirituality was further explored in DS9 Season 1 finale . "I think it enables us, as a specific television series, to explore the Bajoran spiritual life, which we haven't done too much of," opined Ira Steven Behr. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 56) The season ender established a basis for much of what viewers later came to understand of the Bajoran political/religious system. Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe suspected that some of that evolved from him having had a Catholic upbringing, though even more came from him having an interest in history. "The system isn't specifically Catholic as we think of Catholicism today," he reasoned. "It's fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Catholicism, when the pope held much more of a political office than now, and when the Medicis and the Borgias and the French kings and every other powerful family in southern Europe was fighting to get their guy to be pope." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 68) Ira Steven Behr offered, "We're dealing with the fact that Bajor is a culture where people basically vote for their pope and sleep with their priests. I think it's just fascinating." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 75) Further developments The DS9 writing staff hoped to continue establishing the Bajorans in the second season of the show. "We're going to do a lot of things with the Bajorans and their spiritual and political sides," Ira Steven Behr promised. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 24, Nos. 3/4, p. 108) Bajoran politics were featured in a trilogy of episodes which opened season two of DS9 – namely, , , and . René Echevarria later cited the length of the trilogy as having made viewers feel they were uninterested in Bajoran politics. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 97) A Season 2 episode which demonstrates the plight of the Bajorans was , in which their argument for refusing the Skrreea a home on Bajor was meant to be portrayed sympathetically. "The Bajorans .... have a very serious problem," Michael Piller mused about the episode. "They have an economy that is broken and problems of their own, and how do you take care of a whole new group of people when you need to take care of yourself?" (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 66) Ira Behr was pleased with the development of the Bajorans in the second season of DS9. At the end of that season, he summarized, "In the course of the year we've made the Bajorans much more interesting than they were in the beginning of the series." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, p. 98) During the final couple of seasons of The Next Generation, the TNG writing staff was encouraged to bring Bajoran characters aboard the Enterprise. This was an attempt to essentially reinforce the reality of Deep Space Nine and help weave the fabric of the Star Trek fictional universe together, though the TNG writers obviously also had to avoid contradicting what was being established on DS9. ( audio commentary, TNG Season 7 Blu-ray special features) The Bajorans had to keep being developed on DS9, even after TNG ended, when DS9 Season 3 started. "The Bajorans aren't going anywhere," recognized Ronald D. Moore, who joined the DS9 writing staff in the third season, "so that always has to keep moving along storywise." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 78) However, intellectual and philosophical stories regarding Bajoran religion and politics were generally not embraced by viewers of DS9. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 158) In fact, market research conducted by Paramount indicated that narratives focusing on Bajoran politics were least interesting to fans of the show. René Echevarria observed, "I guess the feeling is that there is so much to read about, do you need to see made-up political situations unfolding? A lot of people just don't have the interest." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 97) As a result, Paramount and the DS9 producers opted to concentrate less on Bajoran politics. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 244) A DS9 episode which deals with Bajoran religion was Season 3's , the original version of which involved a prophecy of something miraculous and wonderful happening for the Bajorans. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 211) Pointing out one motive for producing the installment – albeit changing the nature of the prophecy – Ron Moore stated, "We wanted to do a Bajoran-oriented show." René Echevarria commented about the episode which resulted, "It's really interesting regarding the Bajoran religion." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 92) Once Hilary J. Bader pitched a story that served as the genesis for subsequent third season installment , Ron Moore made the Bajorans a feature of the episode. "After Hilary's pitch," Moore remembered, "I wrote up a memo that said, 'Let's make this about the Bajorans. " (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 96) The Bajorans were additionally featured in , two episodes later. In that installment, they were partly based on Mexicans during the Mexican Revolution. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 97) At one early point of the story's development, the Bajorans were depicted as having recently rediscovered a massive library or museum which they were putting efforts and funds into reopening for the first time since the Bajoran Occupation. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 97; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 244) "That's prompting the rebellion," explained Ron Moore, "because the farmers are angry that their needs are not being met, but people are putting all this money and effort into raising these old libraries. Who cares about culture when it's food on the table?" However, the writers found portraying the Bajorans with such concerns wasn't working, until the creative team realized they could have the species becoming officially led by Kai Winn. "If it's the Kai and Kira and Shakaar, then the players are all in place finally," Moore related. The writers endeavoured to make sure the viewpoints of Kira and Shakaar were comprehensible and acceptable. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, pp. 97-98) There was also potential for a romance between those two Bajorans, so the episode's script included "a couple little subtle beats to play, just to see if we could gain some chemistry between the actors," recalled Moore. "And it seemed to work." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 244) The Bajorans were focused on to a deliberately lessened degree in DS9 Season 4, which Nana Visitor correctly predicted beforehand. "I felt there would ... probably be less of a focus on Bajoran activity," she admitted, "and I understood that was the point." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 256) Makeup Michael Westmore's inspiration for the Bajoran makeup came from Rick Berman, who, after hiring Michelle Forbes to play Ro Laren on TNG, told Westmore, "We've hired a pretty girl and I want to keep her that way. Think of something that we can take and make her look a little alien, and still get the idea she's from another planet, but she's still gorgeous." ("Michael Westmore's Aliens: Season One", DS9 Season 1 DVD special features) Westmore agreed. "Part of the reason the Bajoran makeup's so... spare," explained René Echevarria, "is because ... he said, 'Well, this is a pretty gal; I don't wanna cover up her face with putting some elaborate prosthetic on her forehead. " ( audio commentary, TNG Season 7 Blu-ray special features) The Bajoran nose design was partly "influenced" by Dave Rossi, who had accidentally damaged the original plaster casts by strapping them down on his bicycle while transporting them between Michael Westmore and Rick Berman. Westmore repaired the damage and used some of the indentations caused by the strap to add to the design. ( ) File:Bajoran make up 1.jpg|A young actor during the make-up process File:Bajoran make up 2.jpg|A young actress with her Bajoran nose application File:Bajoran make up 3.jpg|An actress with the full nose make-up When Nana Visitor was auditioning for the role of Kira Nerys, the idea of the Bajoran make-up was introduced to her. She later remembered, "Rick Berman told me, 'At least the prosthetic is one of the least we have.' And I said, 'What prosthetic?' And he said, 'It's nothing. It's just a small elephant nose that you wear.' He had me going for five seconds." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 23, No. 6, p. 38) Once Visitor started playing Kira but had an accident that caused minor injury to her back, the ER doctor's prognosis was influenced by the fact Visitor was in full Bajoran make-up and costume at the time, despite the actress believing her wound wasn't serious. "The doctor said, 'Well, in that case, I think we better get you to X-Ray right away to check out that broken nose.' He was a good emergency room doctor, but didn't know Bajorn anatomy as well as Bashir," quipped Visitor. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 24, Nos. 3/4, p. 103) In fact, the doctor was under the impression that the apparent injury would make medical history. Visitor had to finally tell him her "nose" was a prosthetic one, which dismayed the doctor. ( , Deep Space Nine Chronicles, DS9 Season 4 DVD special features) According to Frances Praksti, the Bajoran nose prosthetic "took about an hour" to be applied and was extremely comfortable to wear thereafter. (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, pp. 51-52) Nana Visitor's usual Bajoran make-up required around an hour and a half to apply. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 178) Armin Shimerman once described the Bajorans as "the ones with those cute washboard noses." ( , Deep Space Nine Chronicles, DS9 Season 4 DVD special features) Several Bajoran nose special effects applications were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. Trivia The oval-shaped Bajoran symbol was designed by Nathan Crowley and Doug Drexler. "My contribution," offered Michael Okuda, "was that I saw that particular pattern on one of Nathan's set drawings as a floor plan, and I said, 'That will be our Bajoran symbol.' And then Doug took that basic thing and refined it." The emblem subsequently became a hallmark of Bajoran design and was represented many times on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, such as in the architecture of some Bajoran homes and on the Bajoran combadges. (Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before, paperback ed., p. 183) A crowd of Bajorans had to be depicted in , about which David Livingston noted, "We had thirty extras." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 51) He also stated, "There were a lot of people–not enough people, actually." (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 48) For the foreground of a matte painting of Bajor in , Illusion Arts, Inc. staff were filmed as Bajorans, strolling along a path. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 25/26, No. 6/1, p. 72) Two similarly miniaturized-on-screen Bajorans, Dekon Elig and Ches'sarro Seeto, were "played" by Visual Effects Producer Dan Curry. For the former role, Bajoran nose wrinkles were digitally added by DS9 Scenic Artist Doug Drexler. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 25) Apocrypha According to the DS9 Pocket Books novel Warpath, the Bajora were an "ethnic subgroup" who "became a nation-state, and eventually dominated the planet culturally and economically, subsuming other ethnic identities. Thousands of years later, despite the persistence of regional and ethnic variation among the people of Bajor, they now share a common identity as Bajorans." James T. Kirk made first contact with the Bajorans during the five-year mission of the , according to the novel Allegiance in Exile. The Bajorans join the Federation in the novel Unity. External links * * ca:Bajorans cs:Bajoran de:Bajoraner es:Bajoranos fr:Bajoran ja:ベイジョー nl:Bajoran pl:Bajoranie Category:Bajor Category:Species